Long Shot (2019)

I noticed that I’ve been seeing a lot of animated films recently.  I thought maybe it was time for a change of pace.  I’m not saying that these movies were bad.  Pokémon Detective Pikachu and Missing Link were both pretty solid, in fact.  It’s just that maybe I should see something that was actually intended for someone my age.

Enter Long Shot.

The title works on several levels.  First, you have Charlotte Field, who’s working as secretary of state.  She’s considering a run for president, but knows that it would be an uphill battle at best.  She hasn’t even told anyone.  There’s also Fred Flarsky, who works for an independent news Web site.  That is, until right-wing dirt bag Parker Wembley buys it.  So, Flarsky quits in protest.

As you might expect from such a movie, Charlotte and Fred end up at the same party.  Funny thing is that Charlotte used to baby sit Fred.  He even had an adolescent crush on her.  Given his work history, Charlotte hires Fred as a speechwriter.  Hilarity and romance both ensue.

I knew going into the movie that there would be at least some crude humor.  It wasn’t as bad as I expected, honestly.  It’s still not a movie for children, but there was only one scene that would have been awkward watching with my parents.

I do sense a bit of wish fulfillment here.  Who hasn’t had an adolescent crush they wanted to hook up with?  She’s way out of his league and everyone knows it, but it happens anyway.  There’s also a female presidential candidate that survives a scandal that would have brought down a male contender.  (Perhaps the biggest fantasy of all is a horrible president that wants to limit himself to one term, even if it is for the wrong reason.)

This isn’t a complicated movie.  Both main characters are likable people.  Fred tends to be inflexible on certain issues while Charlotte needs to take a firmer stance.  Much of the humor tends to be out there, like Fred getting half of a swastika tattoo.  I wouldn’t say that it’s played for shock value, but it is there.  I think the next movie I watch might be animated, just for balance.

IMDb page

Black Panther (2018)

Context matters.

It‘s true for art as well as people.  How a movie is interpreted depends on where it came from and who made it.  Also, what I bring to a theater will differ from what someone else brings to the theater.  I doubt that any two people will see Black Panther the same way.  (For instance, those that have studied history will probably pick up on certain aspects of the movie.)

There’s also the fact that there’s a majority-black cast.  As someone of European descent, I’m viewing the movie more as a comic-based action movie, which it does well.  However, it also has a hero who’s African.  It didn’t come off as an African hero movie to me.  It came across as a movie that used Africa and its culture as an effective backdrop to a great story.

Black Panther starts in 1992 with the then-king of Wakanda, T'Chaka, calling out his brother, N'Jobu, on assisting an arms dealer named Ulysses Klaue.  Cut to a small boy on a basketball court watching the king‘s ship leave.  In the present day, T’Chaka has died.  T’Chaka’s son, T'Challa, ascends to the throne after a ritual battle.  Meanwhile, Erik Stevens is helping Klaue steal vibranium.

Wakanda is a technologically advanced nation that uses vibranium as the basis for much of its technology.  It presents itself as a developing nation, keeping the technology hidden from the rest of the world.  Klaue is one of a few outsiders that know of the truth.  It was N’Jobu’s plan to share the technology to help oppressed people everywhere.  Klaue and Stevens have picked up the torch.

Well, Stevens moreso than Klaue.  Klaue is an arms dealer who intends to sell the vibranium.  He’s a rather happy guy for an arms dealer.  He really seems to enjoy his job.  Stevens tends to identify with those that were oppressed.  Like N’Jobu, he’d like to see Wakandan technology given to the underdogs.

This isn’t an easy call.  Wakanda has remained hidden for a reason.  To give out the technology would invite questions about where it came from.  There’s also the issue of the oppressed not stopping at mere freedom.  Our history is one of war and oppression.  Who’s to say that it wouldn’t completely reverse the dynamic rather than bring balance?

I do see the comparisons to the Bond movies.  You have a hero who gets great gadgets and cool transportation from a scientific advisor.  In this case, Q’s counterpart is T'Challa sister, Shuri.  She presents him with stealth shoes, communications devices and the suit you may have seen in the coming attractions.

I would say that the primary difference is that you don’t have the sexual innuendo and ironic names.  (Well, there is Killmonger, but I’m going to let that one go.)  I would say that if anything, this is what James Bond might have looked like if the movies were done with more of a serious tone.

For those who are new to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the movie doesn’t seem to rely too heavily on other movies.  There were a few scenes that made more sense after looking stuff up, but I was able to follow and enjoy the movie without much trouble.

IMDb page